Meaning of clean In English

• 0 free from any dirty marks, pollution, bacteria, etc.:

  • a clean white shirt

  • clean air/water

  • Make sure your hands are clean before you have your dinner.

  • Hospitals need to be kept spotlessly (= extremely) clean.

• 1 honest or fair, or showing that you have not done anything illegal:

  • a good clean fight/contest

  • The judge took the defendant's clean record (= the absence of previous involvement in crime) into account when passing sentence.

  • I've always had a clean driving licence.

  • It was a clean tackle.

  • The police busted Pete last night, but he was clean.

• 2 morally acceptable:

  • It's all good, clean fun.

  • clean living

  • Can't you think of any clean jokes?

• 3 having stopped taking an illegal drug after taking it regularly:

  • She is a former heroin addict who has been clean for about 13 years.

  • It's incredibly hard for a junkie to stay clean.

• 4 having no rough edges, and smooth, straight, or equally balanced:

  • I've broken my leg, but the doctor says that it's a clean break, so it should heal easily.

  • A good clean hit from Pietersen sent the ball straight out to the boundary.

  • What he liked about the car was its clean lines.

  • I tried to make a clean cut, but the knife wasn't sharp enough.

• 5 complete:

  • It's better for both of us if we make a clean break (of it) (= end our relationship completely).

  • Sara says she needs a clean break with the past.

  • The new prime minister is expected to make a clean sweep (= a complete change) of the government.

• 6 When something you write on is clean, there is nothing on it or it is not yet used:

  • Take a clean sheet of paper.

• 7 to remove dirt from something:

  • I'm going to clean the windows this morning.

  • You should always clean your teeth after meals.

  • Would you clean the fingermarks from/off the door?

  • He asked her to help him clean out the stables.

  • This carpet doesn't clean very well.

  • I hope these bloodstains will clean off my shirt.

• 8 when something is cleaned:

  • These windows need a really thorough clean.

• 9 completely:

  • I clean forgot that I was supposed to be meeting Lucy last night.

  • He's been cheating his customers for years, and getting clean away with it.

  • The bullet went clean through his shoulder.

• 10 free of dirt or other unwanted parts or pieces:

  • Make sure you wear a clean shirt.

  • Hospital rooms have to be kept clean.

  • clean air/water

• 11 honest or fair; not breaking rules or laws:

  • "Let’s make it a clean fight," said the referee.

  • Before his conviction for fraud, he had a clean record (= he had not been involved in crime previously).

  • slang They searched him, but he was clean (= he was not carrying anything illegal or not allowed).

  • clean living

  • a clean joke

• 12 complete:

  • It’s better for both of us if we make a clean break and stop seeing each other.

• 13 new and not used:

  • a clean sheet of paper

• 14 to remove dirt or unwanted parts or pieces from something:

  • [ T ] Saturday morning is our time to clean the house.

  • [ T ] You should clean a wound immediately to avoid infection.

• 15 honest and fair, or showing that you have done nothing illegal or morally wrong:

  • a clean record/report/license Job applicants must have a clean commercial driver's license.

  • He said the campaign's priorities will be "education and clean government."

• 16 free of, or producing no harmful chemicals or substances:

  • clean energy/fuel/technology clean energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind power

  • clean air/water/soil

• 17 to have never been involved in a dishonest or illegal activity:

  • An audit proved that neither company had clean hands when it came to reporting profits.

• 18 to take action to make an organization operate more honestly and effectively:

  • Companies like to clean house between chief executives, so as to give the newcomer a positive base to work from.

• 19 used to tell someone they are being removed from their job:

  • He was told to clean out his desk by noon.

• 20 to start to obey laws or accepted standards of behaviour:

  • There are still serious questions about whether the company has cleaned up its act since its $11 billion accounting fraud was exposed.

• 21 to admit the truth about a secret you have been trying to keep:

  • come clean about/on/over sth Corporate managers were criticized for not coming clean sooner about the company's plans to split.